1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to stringed musical instruments and more particularly to such instruments which are capable of being reduced to approximately one half their length for easier transport and storage. In preferred embodiments, the invention pertains to guitars, especially electric guitars.
2. Prior Art Statement
Conventional stringed instruments, such as violins, banjos, bass guitars, double basses, acoustical guitars, electric guitars and the like come in a variety of shapes and sizes. However, they are generally too large to be conveniently carried and transported, particularly on modern airlines which require the owner to have such guitars transferred with the baggage. Quite often, musicians are forced to purchase an extra seat simply for the guitar, since a modern electric guitar is a somewhat delicate instrument and the owner of such an instrument would prefer that it not be transported with the baggage. In addition, many stringed instruments are very valuable or have their own unique attributes which make them irreplaceable to the owner so that the owner does not want to risk having it lost because it was transported with airline baggage. It is also desirable in other situations that string instruments such as the modern electric guitar be made less bulky in order to be more conveniently carried or transported.
Some prior art collapsible guitars have incorporated a hinged neck which allows the neck portion of the guitar to be folded so as to fit into a suitably sized recess in the main body of the guitar. An example of such a device is given in U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,211 to Jorgensen. The Jorgensen guitar also has grooved portions on the main body which receive the guitar strings when the neck is in a folded position in the main body. Although the Jorgensen guitar folds into a relatively compact form instrument, a primary disadvantage exists in that the folding of the neck involves excess lateral displacement of the strings of the instrument, causing difficulty in handling and alignment of the strings, and resulting in the application of excess tension thereto necessitating that the guitar be retuned after it has been erected into a playable guitar. In addition, the rather large recess in the body of the guitar, and to a lesser extent, the grooves in the guitar body, are believed to have a pronounced effect on the resonance and other musical characteristics of the guitar, as well as mechanical distortions of the instrument's appearance. Consequently, such prior art guitars may not have the desired "sound", simplicity of operation, or instrument-like appearance.
Another prior art collapsible guitar utilizes mechanisms which relax the strings in order to permit the neck to be folded. An example of such a prior art collapsible guitar is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,111,093 to Field. The Field guitar employs a somewhat complex system of gears and rollers to relax the string tension and additionally employs a spring loaded pin to lock the neck in an extended position when the instrument is to be played. However, a disadvantage with the Field guitar is that its complexity and its sophisticated mechanisms add to the cost of manufacture of the guitar making the guitar somewhat more expensive than other guitars of comparable musical quality. In addition, such complex mechanisms may adversely affect the tonal characteristics of the guitar.
Other prior art collapsible guitars have body sections which are foldable or collapsible. An example of such a prior art guitar is given in U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,882 to Shaw. The Shaw guitar has a main body which has wing-like sections at lateral portions thereof. These wing sections are provided with expander mechanisms which include a threaded stem projecting through one wall in order to manually expand the wings out of their collapsed position into their expanded position. In addition, the Shaw guitar also has a neck portion which is folded by means of a hinge over the top of the instrument body. A major disadvantage with such guitars is the possible pinching when folding the strings over a permanently attached metal bar in order to collapse the guitar. Another important disadvantage with such prior art collapsible guitar is that it is required to have a particular shape, i.e. the wings must be in a triangular form so that the guitar is collapsible, as desired. In addition, the somewhat complex mechanical mechanisms tend to both make the guitar more expensive and adversely affect its tonal characteristics and instrument-like appearance. Finally, and very significant, the Shaw guitar does not fold in half because the entire neck folds over, and an extension block is needed to support the neck when it is unfolded. If the lower bout section of the guitar is eliminated, i.e. as an electric guitar, this disproportion is even more apparent. As shown in FIG. 5 thereof, optimum compactness in length cannot be achieved with the Shaw guitar.
Other patents which typify the state of the art in the development of compact stringed instruments include U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,151 to Copeland; U.S. Pat. No. 3,130,625 to Savona; U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,936 to Steinberger, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,908 to Moore. The Copeland patent has a fold over neck which also has a swing over string end tension plate on the body, has two folds in the strings and also requires both hinges and a separate attachment screw as well as a body extension or ledge for the neck in the open position. The remaining patents are directed to compactness with features other than break-neck.
Thus, a collapsible stringed instrument is needed that can be collapsed into a form in which it has reduced length to maximum extent, i.e. in half. Moreover, a collapsible instrument is needed with such attributes as a relatively simple design, an easily collapsible form, and the desired tonal characteristics, as well as the ability to maintain a fine instrument-like appearance.